Weekend Wrap - Playoff Letdown Edition

I acknowledge that I had promised to wrap the weekend on Monday morning, but perhaps you missed that fine print....  It actually ends up in existential territory, can a blogger wrap that which itself has not wrapped?  

An odd week at Ponte Vedra Beach, one in which the Tour will no doubt take comfort in the outcome, though I'd assign a huge asterisk to it all.  No doubt recency bias will dominate, so all sorts of folks will be conceding him that little event in three weeks.

Rory In Full - That's a recurring header here, and Golf.com actually used it on their home page for this piece:

Rory McIlroy’s week at the Players Championship started with a heckle and ended with heroics. On Monday morning, McIlroy claimed his second career Players title after beating J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff in blustery conditions at TPC Sawgrass.

It was a week that illuminated what makes McIlroy such a compelling figure off the course and magnetic one on it.

After 20-year-old college golfer Luke Potter chirped McIlroy with a dig about his 2011 Masters collapse during Tuesday’s practice round, McIlroy walked over to the rope line and grabbed the phone of one of Potter’s teammates. The college players were removed from the premises.

It was an understandable, human reaction from McIlroy. A revealing one, too, as my colleague James Colgan noted. It showed the duality of the four-time major winner. The unpredictability of the contrasting versions he chooses to exhibit.

He is both willing and vulnerable enough to show the emotional anguish of his failures but also knows he can’t let those letdowns define him.

We'll touch briefly on that punching down incident, but that last sentence is the crux of the matter, no?  He seems as indecisive as Hamlet, but also more than a little thin-skinned.  A modern day Colin Montgomerie, though admittedly the current Rory has shed the baby fat.

And then he gets into this, for reason only his shrink will understand:

On Wednesday, McIlroy said he plans to retire with “some left in the tank” and that he won’t play on the PGA Tour Champions. In the next breath, he allowed there is always the possibility he could change his mind. To be willing to evolve your positions based on new information is admirable and a sign of an ability for deep introspection.

Same goes for his on-course approach.

McIlroy can overpower almost any test, but he’s working to fight his natural aggressive instincts in an attempt to mirror what has made Scottie Scheffler so dominant over the last two years.

That mentality shift helped McIlroy win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year and had him enter the final round at TPC Sawgrass within striking distance of another Players title. Despite beginning the day four shots back of 54-hole leader J.J. Spaun, McIlroy was expected to track down the contenders ahead of him with an average world ranking of 103. Anything else would be a letdown.

The curse of being great is that the accompanying expectations lead only to failures being magnified exponentially. McIlroy knows this too well as his major championship drought enters its 11th year.

There may be something there, but just think about how long he's been out there..  If this is the silver bullet, you'd have to agree that it took him an inordinate amount of time to get there, no?

I don't have quite as much time as I need, so shall we do our usual thing of drafting off the  Tour Confidential panel?  Sorry if I confused you, but that last question was very much rhetorical:

Rory McIlroy took down J.J. Spaun in a Monday playoff to win the Players Championship

for the second time in his career and claim his second win in three starts this season (the first time he’s had two wins before April). What’d you think of McIlroy’s week? And with the Masters looming, has he shown you anything to think this year at Augusta could be different?

Josh Sens: Yes. He’s talked about swing tweaks, and he’s been working hard on his wedge game. I can’t say I understand what he has changed in his mechanics, but he’s been playing a more controlled game so far this season. Augusta, of course, is a different animal for McIlroy. The Masters has been in his head. But a month ago or so in this space, I chose him to win the green jacket this year. I like that pick.

If he's improved his distance control with his wedges, that's huge.  Of course, it took him a decade or more to diagnose the problem, if only he read this blog.

James Colgan: If he’s walking up the 18th fairway at Augusta National with a two-shot lead, I’ll safely believe this year could be different. Until then, I think the burden falls on Rory to show us he is different.

James, just to be safe, I'd make that a 3-shot lead.... Yanno, Arnie '61 and all...  But a pretty damn cynical take from Mr. Colgan, which I find appropriate.

Josh Schrock: The easy answer is yes but I think it’s unknowable. I think McIlroy’s decision to try to emulate Scottie Scheffler’s course management style and limit mistakes has clearly paid off so far. He’s hitting a variety of different golf shots, especially with his wedges and short irons. It’s all good. But with McIlroy, everything changes once he steps foot on Augusta National. As we saw this week with one chirp from Luke Potter, McIlroy’s failure at the Masters still cuts deep. Whether or not he can heal that mental wound once inside the ropes at Augusta is something that no one, not even McIlroy, knows.

Yeah, I haven't blogged it, but they do a deep dive on the incident, which I do think is a tell:

McIlroy also made headlines earlier in the week, when he had a couple of fans kicked out and took one of their phones (which was later returned) after one of them heckled McIlroy for hitting a ball into the water during a practice round. Did McIlroy cross the line? Or did he have the right to do what he did?

Sens: I can understand the impulse in the heat of the moment. But he crossed the line. He’s a professional. He knows that dealing with yahoo behavior is part of his job. That involves rising above — or blocking out — the occasional idiocy around him.

Colgan: Definitely crossed a line, but I’m also not bothered by it. If anything, I found it funny that the thing he desperately wants us NOT to talk about (Masters 2011/U.S. Open 2024) became the story of tournament week because of Rory’s own actions. In that same breath, kudos to him for vanquishing some demons with his performance on Sunday and Monday.

Schrock: I don’t think he crossed the line. To be honest, I don’t think we need to let hecklers off the hook for being cruel. It’s really easy to say that McIlroy should have just blocked it out but I think there’s something more endearing about athletes who aren’t robotic. From Potter’s perspective, I couldn’t imagine chirping someone who I hope to be peers with one day. That would be like me going to the Super Bowl and yelling at Dan Wetzel over the column he wishes he had back. What are we doing?

I haven't followed this story closely, but the only part that sounds "over the line" is the taking of the cellphone, assuming he did it himself.  A player should not interact with fans directly, but I've no issue in a player reporting fans to tournament officials.  But having no issue with it is different than thinking it helpful for the player.  Players shouldn't even be conscious of the nonsense coming from the crowds, and Rory has just introduced his rabbit ears to the inebriated malcontents of the world, which I assume he will come t regret See:  Montgomerie, Colin)

But what intrigues us all is likely two aspects, the obvious continuing sensitivity to 2011, combined with the incident happening in a practice round....   As the man above hinted at, if you have rabbit ears in a practice round at Sawgrass.... well, you can finish the thought.

As for Luke Potter, he did send Rory a written apology, one assumes the wording was challenging, but what could he have been thinking?  I hate to bring him up, but it reminds of Grayson Murray's challenges, so not sure the 38th ranked amateur in the world is ready for prime time.

TPC Sawgrass proved to be a challenging yet entertaining test, the addition of a pesky tree made one front-nine hole much more compelling, and Justin Thomas nearly set the course record a day after he shot one of the worst rounds of the week. What did you learn this week?

Sens: This isn’t a new lesson but an old one reinforced. Venues matter. Architecture buffs can debate the merits of TPC Sawgrass until they are blue in the face. But there’s no doubt it’s a great tournament stage.

Colgan: I learned that this is still a really fun golf tournament, even when it’s missing some of LIV’s big stars. I really hope we find a way to get some of those players in the field in years to come, because, while this tournament is not a major, it does have some space between the next nearest golf tournament.

Let's take that thought a little further, James.  He's spot on that it's a more important event than any other, sans the four major.  What's the difference, kids?  C'mon, anyone?  Bueller?   You might have noticed that it had an actual full fie4ld of 144 players....  Did you catch any of Friday's action in which great players were fighting to make the cut?  This is exactly what Patrick Cantlay wants removed from professional golf.

Schrock: The Players is a great tournament because of the combination of the course, the conditions and the spot on the calendar it holds. I think that having it be the first major-type test of the year really sets the stage for what’s to come and guys are really on edge because of that. But I guess the field was missing Joaquin Niemann. The absence of Phil Mickelson’s World No. 1 was felt for sure. This tournament will feel even bigger when/if the game gets reunified, but it’s an awesome test and has a diet major feel.

I wouldn't argue against the inclusion of the best LIV players,  but we're talking about 3-4 guys.  The harsh reality is that no one misses Joaquin, because he simply hadn't done enough in the game (though I give him props for playing where he can to stay in the mix).

Who won the Players without winning the Players?

Sens: Danny Walker is an obvious choice, as he came in as a last-minute fill in and wound up T6. But I’ll go with Spaun. As painful as that playoff had to be for him, he can take it as a confidence boost that he got to extra holes, and also as an agonizing lesson learned. Both valuable, assuming he can look at it through those eyes.

Colgan: Bud Cauley and Danny Walker went from last-second additions to near-million-dollar paydays. That’s pretty good!

Schrock: Not Scottie Scheffler. The game’s best player didn’t have his best stuff and his attitude soured as his three-peat quest ran aground on Saturday. He is clearly not happy with where his game is after the layoff due to Ravioli-gate and has work to do to defend at Augusta. But in all seriousness, it’s Bud Cauley, Danny Walker and Spaun.

Most of those names would not have even been in the field were it a Signature Event.  Can we not acknowledge the diminishment of events through limited field sizes and no cuts?  It is without a doubt an inferior product in all respects, and those controlling the game are too busy lining their own pockets to do the right thing (Rory and Patrick, call your office).

In honor of the Players’ three-hole aggregate playoff, which playoff format is best?

Sens: Three holes seems about right to me. Long enough to eliminate flukes, but not drawn out enough to become a death march. I wouldn’t have wanted to see this morning’s playoff go on a second longer.

Colgan: Depends on the venue. Some places should be the same hole over and over again. Some should be a full, 18-hole aggregate. TPC Sawgrass is dead perfect as a three-hole aggregate.

Schrock: If it’s a big event, it should be a full 18-hole aggregate. If it’s a non-major, non-Players Signature Event, it should be a three-hole aggregate. Everything else should be sudden death.

Funny answers, as if they want to avoid the obvious conclusions....

First, just let me add, this is a tough question and Colgan's answer is downright bizarre, because layoff formats are mostly chosen based upon the event, not the venue.   Those three finishing holes at Sawgrass provide a routing that's hard for any other venue to match, which only begs the question of whether the PGA of America could ever take a Ryder Cup here....  I mean, if the USGA can bring an Amateur there....

But it's a good question, though the writers seem unwilling to pull at the thread.  Because if the fifth of four majors has an epic three-hole playoff, isn't it weird that the U.S. Open has 2-hole playoff and the Masters is still sudden death?

They actually have a Joaquin follow-up:

Joaquin Niemann won LIV Golf Singapore on Sunday, giving the 26-year-old pro two wins in four LIV starts this season. With the Masters a month away, is he the most dangerous LIV golfer playing Augusta?

Sens: I dunno. I wouldn’t look past a certain Masters winner named Jon Rahm.

Colgan: Well, Phil Mickelson called him the best golfer in the world, so I think that stands for something!

Schrock: Niemann needs to show a pulse in a major before we’re calling him a threat of any sort. It’s Bryson, Rahm, Hatton and Brooks. Then, maybe, Niemann. Maybe.

Yeah, when has Phil ever lied to us?

I think they do a credible job, and Joaquin is a bit of an enigma for sure.  I though his decision to join LIV was one of the most regrettable, for the simple reason that he was still ascending, and LIV is just not the same competitive environment.

But on this question my thought go to the state of the Tour-LIV negotiations, wherein it's our understanding that the issue is the ongoing status of LIV.  Their players have obviously had some success in majors, but I'll opine that their top guys (and it's really only 3-4 guys) guys need to perform in the 2025 majors to maintain their negotiating leverage.  It puts quite a lot of pressure on those few guys, Brooks, Bryson, Rahmbo and maybe Joaquin and Cam Smith (although he doesn't seem to be the same guy).

One last bit and then the exit for me.  On Sunday I was watching the restarted final round when Employee No. 2 said words to the effect of, "Look at the package on Lucas Glover".  So, I couldn't help looking and, while I wish I could unsee it, that is no longer an option.  What's a blogger to do?  My Google subscription is current, so I searched Lucas Glover package" and got this:

Lucas Glover's "package" refers to the specific golf clubs he uses, which include a Titleist GT2 driver, a Cobra Darkspeed LS 3-wood, Srixon ZX7 irons, Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore wedges, and a L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max putter.

No, that's not what the bride meant at all.  She was perhaps using a more colloquial definition, for which the Urban Dictionary is the reference of record:

Male genitalia (penis and scrotum together), often associated with large size.

Man, look at the bulge in that dude's pants! His package must be huge.

It's twoo!  It's twoo!  All I can say is that the bride was not mistaken....

If I were on my game, this story should be combined with the news of Tiger's latest romantic relationship, which will have all sorts of heads exploding.   

I will catch you all later in the week.